A programme designed to address challenges and empower women to consider an entrepreneurial career in STEAM has taken place for the first time at University of Limerick.
The EntreSTEAM programme, the first of its type to be delivered in UL, aims to encourage more women to consider careers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths).
Funded by the HEA, it was developed by the Kemmy Business School, Nexus, Technology Transfer Office and Lero to increase awareness of the natural connection between entrepreneurial thinking and STEAM.
It also highlighted the many entrepreneurial career opportunities that emerge from applying an entrepreneurial mindset to STEAM such as starting your own enterprise, commercialisation of research, spin out companies or for use in an entrepreneurial context in an existing organisation.
The programme ran over a series of interactive workshops using novel creative techniques such as photovoice to engage participants to reflect on their entrepreneurial mindset.
Through panel discussions, talks from STEAM entrepreneurs and researchers, and interactive visualisation exercise, participants gained practical knowledge and tips to apply an entrepreneurial mindset to solve STEAM challenges.
Using photovoice as a visualisation exploration method, participants took photos which allowed them to illustrate their personal reasons, emotions and experiences guiding their views, perceptions, challenges and understanding of Entrepreneurial career opportunities in STEAM.
The photos were developed into themes and were the stimulus for qualitative discussion bringing to the fore suggestions on how to build a stronger and more empowered female EntreSTEAM community.
It culminated on International Women’s Day 2023 with the EntreSTEAM Showcase and photos taken by the participants of the programme under a range of themes were displayed in a poster exhibition. This celebration was very timely given the UN theme for International Women’s Day - DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
Gert O’Rourke, Nexus Centre Manager said that event gave “participants the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and attitudes to the reasons behind their chosen images and how they represent the entrepreneurial journey and mind-set”.
Dr Briga Hynes, a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Kemmy Business School, said: “The EntreSTEAM programme provides greater visibility to the importance and significance of creating a stronger EntreSTEAM support and peer learning ecosystem. It creates a valuable networking opportunity for peer learning and developing business opportunities which is a much-needed request by females starting new businesses in STEAM arena.”
This EntreSTEAM programme adds to the suite of dedicated Entrepreneurship programmes for Researchers developed collaboratively by Nexus, Kemmy Business School and the Technology Transfer office.
This cross disciplinary collaboration provides researchers with an integrated perspective of the benefits bridging the technology/science and business functions to generate innovations with commercial and societal impact and better understand the evolving relationship between science and industry.
